U.S. drug informant goes from pinstripes to prison stripes

[Joanne98]

Source: McClatchy

PANAMA CITY, Panama — The man who helped the United States strike the hardest blow ever against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia expected to live a nice, quiet life on a cozy little island off the coast of Panama. Instead, he got a jail cell.

Convicted Colombian drug-trafficker Nelson Urrego was the key informant for a U.S. covert operation that ended in 2003 when the leadership of the FARC — Colombia's oldest and best financed leftist guerrilla organization — was finally indicted on drug-trafficking and murder charges.

Urrego's job was to hand the rebels several satellite phones that had been tapped by U.S. federal agents. He delivered, thanks to a friendship he had struck with a guerrilla leader in a Bogota jail. The feds started listening to the rebels' conversations and built a case against them.

Urrego thought he had bought himself a new life. He settled in Panama, where he purchased Chapero Island for $1.5 million.




Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-colombia-informer-farc-webmar24,1,4945428.story

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Isn't this an interesting story. Betraying their own snitch. What's up with that?

[Xipe Totec]

1. Yea, good luck getting another stoolie n/t

[Festivito]

7. It's what the CIA wants. Convince snitches not to snitch.

Since it is CIA planes, BFEE planes, the torture planes, i.e. all the same player's planes that run drugs.

Before leaving office, make sure potential snitches are silenced.

No one complains about this tiny it-ty-bitty little event. The snitches know not to come forward -- ever. A good administration now, could become a bad one in just four or eight years.

[DRoseDARs]

2. The article has it was Panama's greed and not a US betrayal (though we certainly didn't help either)

Developers wanted his island, he didn't want to play ball with them, the Panamanian government got involved siding with the developers. And the US stands by and does nothing, not even issue a statement of protest it seems.

[chusmeria]

3. Good luck not getting murdered in prison! n/t

[juno jones]

4. This could have some interesting ramifications for our 'war on drugs'

Might become harder to get people like Urrego to do the dirty work for Unka Sam if it becomes publiclly known that Unka will renege on his deals.



edit: spelling

[ShockediSay]

5. If some snitch wants to lay low, does he buy himself a $1.5 MM

island?

[bean fidhleir]

6. The US (all governments, really) have a long history of that kind of betrayal

Just point the finger and then sit idly by. Clean hands. Dirty ethics, but clean hands.